We have been keeping to a race in the best of our times, but when everything comes to a halt, many aspects of life that we take for granted become more pronounced. The isolation that we face in the COVID-19 pandemic raises some pressing questions – How do we keep connected when physical proximity to others is now prohibited? How can we find alternative ways of responding that aren’t simply about isolation and fear? The pandemic has affected every aspect of our societies, revealing the extent of exclusion that the most marginalized members of society experience.
CoCreation Workshop is helmed by Tan Peiling and Samantha Tio (Mintio), two visual artists in partnership. At CoCreation Workshop, we have thought deeply about how to best show up during these challenging times. In returning to the core of what we have always cared for, we have found our answers with the communities that we work with: In 2019, we have initiated “The Creability Movement”, an artistic advocacy movement with the objective of promoting disability-led visual art collaborations. In this movement, we engage artists paired with disabled participants from across Southeast Asia. The initiative culminated in a physical exhibition in Bali-Indonesia, titled “Now is a Good Time” with our partner, Ketemu Project. As an extension of “The Creability Movement”, Co:Creation Workshop will embark independently on a new project, titled “Time on Our Hands”. We will bring the initiative home, focusing on featuring artists and collaborators based in Singapore. And as a response to the exacerbated barriers that communities in isolation encounter in a pandemic, we will be reaching out to our audiences with digital experiences to deepen our engagement.
– To show how art can exhibit courage and strength through the actions of artists with diverse talents and abilities
– Highlight how artists and communities continue to be active creators of our society’s cultural nutrients
– Bring people together and encourage inclusive creative interactions within the local communities
– Provide accessible content that enhances well-being through the therapeutic effects of creating art with instructional videos and sharings from artists
– Lift the barriers to accessing arts and cultural experiences with digital tools
“Time on Our Hands” is a digital showcase of collaborative works and creative processes between Singapore artists with community partners. Time can be a conduit for our creative energies, and through our hands, stewards us to make meaning and connect with ourselves. This project will feature a range of tactile and hands-on creative techniques, devices and demonstrated by the artists and their collaborators through a video compilation. Elevated by therapeutic sounds and visuals, the video content will promote a sense of well-being for our audience. As if invited into sharing the same spaces as our artists, audiences will experience the atmosphere of making art alongside them.
